Infusion systems may be used, for example, when administration of a therapeutic substance (e.g., a pharmaceutically active agent) to an internal delivery site within a patient is desired. The internal delivery sites may include, e.g., vascular delivery (arterial, venous, etc.), intraparenchymal solid organ sites (e.g., Ipa brain, liver, etc.), intrathecal locations (containing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a patient), etc. An implantable infusion system including a catheter may be preferred when it is important to deliver the therapeutic substance to the internal delivery site in controlled, often minute, dosages.
Typically, an infusion system includes a reservoir containing a supply of therapeutic substance awaiting delivery to a the patient. A pump may be fluidly coupled to the reservoir for creating fluidic pressure to facilitate delivery of the therapeutic substance to the patient. A catheter provides a pathway for delivering the therapeutic substance to the internal delivery site of the patient. All parts of the infusion system need to operate adequately to ensure proper delivery of therapeutic substances using the system.
While perhaps the least complex component of an infusion system, catheters can have and/or can develop operational problems. For example, catheters may be placed in the wrong location when originally deployed or the catheters may move (migrate) over time such that fluids (e.g., therapeutic substances) delivered through the catheters are not delivered to the selected internal delivery site.
Catheters can also become obstructed or clogged during use. A partial or complete blockage could prevent the therapeutic substance from reaching the selected delivery site of the patient or, in the case of a partial obstruction, could prevent an adequate supply of the therapeutic substance from reaching the internal delivery site of the patient.
Catheters can also leak due to cuts, tears, etc. A leak, small or large, can also prevent the therapeutic substance from reaching the selected internal delivery site of the patient. In addition to the lack of therapeutic substance supplied to the selected internal delivery site of the patient, the therapeutic substance could be dispersed outside of the selected internal delivery site which may create further issues.